What age for Mr Q's Life Science?

I came across Mr. Q's free Life Science program this evening and thought it looked quite good after downloading and perusing a couple of chapters. Sadly, we've not done so well with Science thus far in our hs'ing career. I've tried for the past 3 years to do SL Science with very little success. This year I got Apologia's Astronomy but I'm not loving it like I thought I would. Admittedly, I'm not a Science enthusiast so I could be a big part of the problem.

Anyhow, I'm wondering about doing Mr. Q and putting Astronomy off until the summer or something when I can give it more attention and to give my 6 year old a little more time to mature (sometimes it seems "too much" for her).

Would Mr. Q be appropriate for a 1st and 3rd grader? Is it a "complete" program or will I be looking to supplement?

I used it with a first grader, but she was a fluent reader. I couldn't use it with my current first grader, unless I read it aloud to her. It's fairly complete, but I supplemented with a LOT of library books, but not in a formal way. I would go to the library and stock up on books on a general topic and put them on the shelf. Once a day I would ask them to pick a book from the science shelf.

I started Life Science near the end of first grade with Doodle. We have continued with Life this school year and also began Mr Q's Earth Science. I usually read the text aloud to Doodle, but he can now read it himself and sometimes does. I do not supplement with other science programs. We do make our own lapbooks for both Life and Earth. I will also look for coordinating videos on both BrainPop and Discovery Education. We love MrQ's Science.

Sounds good. I was actually thinking that I'd be reading the text aloud, so no worries there. We have so many science books around the house...I already have a science "book basket" that I regularly ask the kids to choose a book from because I was a little unsure about studying just astronomy for a year. We recently took some time to study dolphins and then ocean life, inspired by the movie Dolphin Tale.

This is off the subject of the question but is about Mr. Q. Do you take this to a printing place to have print? or do it from home? If you take it somewhere how much does that cost? I looked over the Life Science and really would like to use it but I haven't done so because I know printing all those colored page will cost me an arm and a leg in ink.

If I use it will be with my 3rd grader and K-er. The 3rd grader also will does some various science with 6th grader brother as his interests allow and we are doing Apologia Botany with our co-op. So far we've picked things they are interested in or that I could coordinate with something else we were studying (volcanoes when we learned about Pompeii, an Ocean study before our beach trip, etc.). My k-er has been fascinated with the moon and we've read about 10 moon books and made a moon wheel with all the phases. He tracks the progress of the moon each night with his wheel. Would Mr. Q's Life Science be a good fit for these ages?

I used it with a first grader, but she was a fluent reader. I couldn't use it with my current first grader, unless I read it aloud to her. It's fairly complete, but I supplemented with a LOT of library books, but not in a formal way. I would go to the library and stock up on books on a general topic and put them on the shelf. Once a day I would ask them to pick a book from the science shelf.

Here is a old post I made about Mr. Q Science:

We use Mr. Q science basically as you stated.

Everyday my kids listen to a audio recording of a chapter (Recorded by my dh). Then we talk about the chapter over lunch. I pull in some related picture books from the library.

Here is a email I wrote to someone about how we do Science at our house:I think it was you that asked me about how we do Science at our house. So here is my answer. (And if you remember who also I talked to about it that would be great)

The first book in the series is free. There is a parent guide with a schedule and project/experiments every week. (http://www.eequalsmcq.com/)

We just listen to the student text. My dh has made a audio recording of the chapters (chapter 24 so far) and we listen to them at lunch. Since each chapter is only about 5 minutes long that leaves a lot of lunch time. So when we are done listening we talk.

If we just listened to the chapter introducing food chains I'll remind them on the magic school bus book we read about food chains. Ask them if they want to reread it. Then I'll remind them of the poems we had listened to about food chains and pull out the poetry book we keep of poems I have written down. We will read the poems.

Or is we listened to the chapter abut grassland biomes, I'll talk about growing up in Winnipeg. How flat it was, the weather,... After lunch we might dig up some pictures of me as a child. And if they don't show off the grasslands - I don't care.

We just finished the chapter about the brain. So when at the library I picked up "Bill Nye the Science Guy - the Brain)

The real purpose for me right now is to get them use to having science conversations. To get us all use to the different terms. To also set up a direction of conversation for lunch. If I don 't do this I find lunch conversation can be do dull and boring that I do my best to get out of eating with them.

Yes. We also do science kid stuff: dig in the dirt, go to museums, go to a observatory, lay outside on a summers day and study the sky. I just find having this science to listen to every day helps me set the tone for science thinking.

Listening to chapters about certain topics helps peak my interest into finding out more. It exposes all of us to more stuff. A new way of talking scientifically. If you want the author of the curriculum has given me permission to give out a copy of the audio recordings.

If you want a copy of the audio PM me and I'll send you the first 16 chapters (4 units) if you use them and want more just PM me and I'll send you the rest.

This is off the subject of the question but is about Mr. Q. Do you take this to a printing place to have print? or do it from home? If you take it somewhere how much does that cost? I looked over the Life Science and really would like to use it but I haven't done so because I know printing all those colored page will cost me an arm and a leg in ink...

I don't print anything. I knew about MrQ's long before I started actually using it, but I did not want to print it and sitting at my computer to read it was not a good option. Once I got and iPad and then discovered I could put pdf files on it, I was good to go.

This is off the subject of the question but is about Mr. Q. Do you take this to a printing place to have print? or do it from home? If you take it somewhere how much does that cost? I looked over the Life Science and really would like to use it but I haven't done so because I know printing all those colored page will cost me an arm and a leg in ink.

I recently printed out the first chapter to look at it. I only printed the text and I set it so it would only print in black and white. There were a few pages with pictures and in black and white they come out fine.

Is there more than 1 level of Life Science available free from Mr Q? Am I mistaken in thinking the freebie is written for logic stage?

No, it's definitely easier than a logic stage text like the Prentice-Hall Science Explorer: Focus on Life Science book my oldest is using. Mr. Q may be a little advanced for an average 1st grader, however. I'd say it's written at about a mid-elementary level.

No, it's definitely easier than a logic stage text like the Prentice-Hall Science Explorer: Focus on Life Science book my oldest is using. Mr. Q may be a little advanced for an average 1st grader, however. I'd say it's written at about a mid-elementary level.

Ah, OK, that explains it. I do see Mr Q's mentioned once in awhile on the logic stage board which is where I got that idea from. Thanks.